Personality

 

Definition:

Personality is the supreme realization of the innate idiosyncrasy of a living being. It is an act of high courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that constitutes the individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal condition of existence coupled with the greatest possible freedom for self-determination. (Carl Gustav Jung, 1934)

Personality is a dynamic organisation, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create a persons characteristic pattern of behaviour, thoughts, and feelings.  (Carver & Scheier 2000)

Description:

Personality is the way in which each individual is different and the way they act and behave. The main components which make up a persons personality are psychological, biological and environmental. Personality is something which develops in a person during childhood, what they learn in the early stages often determines what type of personality they will have later on in life.

When it comes to business personality types are very important in order for a company to ensure their product or service is aimed at the right people and in order for the business to be a success, this can also be cost affective as the business will know that they are targeting their business at the right people and not wasting money.

Introvert personality types are usually people how base their opinions on feelings, perception and intuition whereas extravert personality type people base their opinions on thinking, sensing and judging. There are 16 personality types which can be read about on http://www.personalitypage.com/high-level.html

Every individual is unique and different, however they will often have two or more characteristics which may cross over to more than one personality although ultimately the main characteristics they show will be characterised in just one type of personality.

Here is an example which incorporates a persons personality within the advert.

Websites:

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UYpx6973kY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gIwxTv5Zbk

References: 

1. Carl Gustav Jung, 1934
2. Carver & Scheier 2000
3. http://www.personalitypage.com/high-level.html (Accessed: 08/10/2010)

Self Concept

Definitions: 

‘The development a concept if self has two aspects, the existential self and the categorical self’ (Lewis 1990)

‘The totality of a complex, organized, and dynamic system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions that each person holds to be true about his or her personal existence’ (Carl Rogers 1987)

Description: 

Self concept is the way in which individuals think that others look at them. The people around us mainly see our outer features and know very little about our personalities. When looking at self concept a lot of individuals use material goods to portray themselves in a certain way to the public.

Self concept is usually influenced by the environment and people around us as the way in which they categorize others may affect how individuals want to be portrayed or not. A person’s culture can also affect the way in which people see themselves. For example in eastern cultures a lot of people who drive expensive cars like Mercedes would think that others see them as wealthy individuals. Life experiences, sexual orientation, age, relationships, appearance, gender, and education can also influence individuals self concept.

There are four stages which influence what individuals buy; when a consumer looks at items they wish to purchase they first consider this:

Social self concept- This is how an individual wants to be accepted and portrayed in society.

Actual self concept- This looks realistically at who someone is and focuses on the ‘who I am now’ issue.

Private self concept- How you act and you personality around others, for example being polite, friendly, outgoing etc.

Ideal self-concept- This is the way individuals perceive who they would like to be like.

How marketers use this in advertising:
In order to encourage consumers to buy a certain product, marketers must adapt a product or service to fit the desires of their target audience. For example those who wish to be seen as well off and from higher class societies are more likely to purchase expensive products.
One main way in which marketers are able to market their product in a way to show wealth and higher class societies is by branding their products. This is one way which two products can be differentiated within the market place to target a specific audience.
Here is an example of a product which is portrayed to be aimed at higher class consumers:

Another example is of a Debenhams clothes advert which offers a designer range of clothes aimed at those who are of a higher class, compared to the tesco clothing range advert which is aimed mainly at lower social class groups:

Lecture:
During the lecture we were asked to all create a mood board on different advertising images. We then assed what type of personality a certain product was aimed with along with the advertising which was done for it. As a class we concluded the majority of us would buy certain products to make us feel good or to present ourselves in a certain way to society.

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f15ckyek5Yk

Websites:

http://www.selfesteemawareness.com/self-concept.htm

http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Self_Concept.pdf

References:

1. Lewis, 1990 
2. Carl Rogers, 1987

My first week

During my first week it was very different as I had started something new. For the past six years I was at an all girls’ school for secondary school and also sixth, therefore when I started University it was a completely different atmosphere. I was very nervous as I did not know anyone, however over time and with the help of the lecturers I was able to get to know people within all of my classes.

The first week was different as often it would be confusing which classes we were in, however there were a lot of group events and activities which allowed everyone to be introduced to each other which helped me a lot. I think a lot of the lecturers also encouraged us a lot as they gave out work ensuring we fully understood everything and were always there when we needed help and guidance.

Positioning

Definitions:

' Thinking about a product in the context of the competitive space it occupies in it's market, defined in terms of attributes that matter to the target market' (Brasingdon and Pettit 2007)

Description:

Positioning is the way in which a product is portrayed and compared with other products within the same market. One of the most common methods of positioning products against their competitors is by using the perceptual map which is a way to look at how consumers look at a product based on price, quality, and ranking. In order to position a product well enough for it to fall in the intended category for consumers, companies must work very hard as sometimes a product can be mislead and the product does not do so well.

The company which is best positioned is the one which usually makes more of a profit. The companies must ensure they portray their business well and make their product or service stand out from their competitors. Once a company has gained their position in the market, when they release new products with their label consumers would be influenced by what they previously know about that brand. This is a great way to help an organisation to grow.

Positioning adverts:

In recent television adverts it has become very common for stores, specifically supermarkets to compare prices in order to position themselves as the cheapest brand. The main reason for this has been due to the recession as consumers are more aware of pricing and which store offers cheaper deals at a better value. Here are a few examples:

Another example is Kellogs Cornflakes advert. This advert aims to position itself as a well valued brand giving consumers confidence that it is better than other brands, specifically supermarket own brands.

A very popular advert which takes into account positioning is the Marks and Spencer advert which has positioned itself in the market as having luxurious food at prices which are affordable. Their advertising strategy had to be adjusted after the recession in order to show how their food was still affordable.

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VxI85DvQjM

Websites:

http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-positioning.html

References:

1. Brasingdon and Pettit (2007)

Targeting

Definitions:

‘Many marketers try to target affluent markets. This practise often makes sense, since the consumers obviously have the resources to expand on costly products’ (Solomon et al 2010)
' Segment of the market selected by the organisation as the focus of its activities' ( Boddy 2008)

Description:

Targeting means breaking up and segmenting consumers into different categories. By having a target market it allows a business to effectively communicate with the consumers. Targeting is also very cost affective for an organisation as it means that promoting, pricing and the distribution of the product or service is made simple and easier as it can be generalised. This strategy is a great advantage for businesses to use at it gives them the opportunity to identify where there is a gap in the market and they can take full benefit of this.

By using target marketing it allows businesses to analyse the consumers they are going to target their product or service at and justify weather or not they are going to be able to make a profit from these potential consumers. Although the target market may be a certain group of people a business must consider the purchaser and also the user for example if parents are sending their children to a swimming club, what will be important to them is health and safety, hygiene and pricing whereas children would be more influenced by more decorative and fun things.

By targeting it allows organisations to plan pricing strategies easily and simply. It also gives organisation a specific group of consumers to aim their product or service at. This includes the people who are most likely to purchase the product. This strategy allows companies to analyse whether or not that market is going to make them a profit and whether or not it is something which will grow and expand.

Advert examples:

This Lynx deodrant advert is targeted specifically at young men. It uses a number of different features to target the right audience including the characters, music and overall theme of the advert.

Here is an advert targeted specifically at middle aged women, this is reflected by the characters used, the language and the environment in which the scene is set.

Video on targeting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LC91RtzvoA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXNHc6PPBfo&feature=related

http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/section/online-marketing#utm_source=targetmarketingmag.com&utm_medium=blog_directory_page&utm_campaign=top_nav

Websites:
http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/targeting-markets/

http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-targeting.html

References:

1.  Management: An introduction: Fourth Edition: 2008, David Boddy
2. Consumer behaviour: A European perspective: Fourth Edition:2010                        Michael R.Solomon, Gary Bamossy, Soren askegaard, Margaret K. Hogg

Segmentation

Definitions:

‘Whether within or across national boundaries, effective market segmentation delineates segments whose members are similar to one another in one or more characteristics and different from members of other segments’ (Solomon et al 2010)

Description:

Segmentation is the process which is taken in order to separate and categorise buyers into different sectors. The sectors usually consist of buyers who have very similar desires, needs and interests as well as buyer behaviour. Segmentation is usually set in order to group buyers which make it easier to for organisations to market their product or service. For example Mercedes aims their car at high class people who can afford expensive luxuries, therefore they target their product at this segment in the market.

Each segment must be unique and have enough characteristics in order for there to still be a profit made. Each consumer has their own personality and traits however these can be sectioned into categories which can be aimed at by a marketing mix, therefore each segment must ensure it has the power to use the marketing mix to reach its consumers. The different segments should also be long-lasting in order for organisations to be able to meet their need sufficiently as if they do not last very long you can’t really focus on it in particular.

The most common areas in which consumers are usually segmented in are:

Geographic – This is usually based on things such as region, climate, and population density and population growth rate.

Demographic- This is based on age, gender, ethnicity, education, occupation, and family status.

Psychographic- Focuses on things like values, attitudes, and lifestyle.

Behavioural- This aims at usage rates and patterns, price sensitivity, brand loyalty and benefits sought.

Some examples of products which take into account segmentation are as follows:
I found a Specsavers advert which is directly aimed at the Over 60's market segment-

This Kellogs Special K breakfast cereal targets women in specific who are either dieting or wanting to follow a healthy eating plan. This is aimed at a specific psychographic audience.

Another advert which I found looks at membership and aims to encourage people to continue to shop at tescos in order to gain points and get discounts. This advert is not only aimed at a behavioural segment but also aims at families with young children.

Video of segmentation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llJNwdV-G88

Websites:

http://www.netmba.com/marketing/market/segmentation/

http://www.learnmarketing.net/segmentation.htm

References:

1. Consumer behaviour: A European perspective: Fourth Edition:2010                       Michael R.Solomon, Gary Bamossy, Soren askegaard, Margaret K. Hogg